Everyone was still sick- but at that point where they’re too sick to go out or do anything big, but not sick enough to do nothing. So really we had 2 not at all tired children who were sick. Fun times!

I pulled Linda’s cat quilt off the frame. Isn’t it cute? I ended up using a light purple thread (to match the inside border) and the design “Pretty Paisley”. The backing is flannel so it’s sure to be cozy snuggly!

Then I loaded Jan’s Tie quilt on the frame. These are from a family member and she carefully took apart the ties and added a lightweight interfacing before piecing the hearts. For batting she chose Pellon Polyester which has a little loft and is very lightweight. The thread is a charcoal- just a shade lighter than black- this blended well with the various ties. For the quilting design she told me to choose something swirly, so I went with “Jilly,” one of my favorite designs.

Isn’t it wonderful?

What a great way to repurpose the ties!

In the afternoon after all my work was done, the girls got to finally begin our December advent calendar.

I picked this cute mitten calendar up at Target & filled each one with with an activity for the day. December 1 said “make salt dough ornaments”. The girls had a wonderful time assembling the ingredients and mixing it up. Megan in particular could almost do the entire project herself! (4 y’all! It’s an amazing age!) giving us more energy to help Emily. Of course after starting the project I remembered the only cookie cutters we had were the woodland creatures from IKEA, but the girls didn’t mind. And really they’re so freaking cute!

They baked up in no time & later we’ll paint them & I’ll dig around the studio for ribbon.

Here’s the recipe if anyone else is feeling adventurous!

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix together, knead until smooth, roll out to about 1/4” thick, cut with cookie cutters, place on baking sheet, bake at 250 degrees for 1-2 hours until firm.

Well yesterday started off with a bang- my husband and oldest were sick, and the little one (who is teething) decided it was the day to begin potty training. Needless to say no quilting was accomplished.

During the witching hour when the little one was going stir crazy, I took her out for a walk around the neighborhood for some fresh air. We’ve lived in this house for 4 years now (how is that possible!?!) and my breathe is still taken away by the lovely trees.

After the girls finally went to bed I started a new scarf. I don’t have a good mindless carry around project & I’ve been itching for an easy crochet project.

I found this pattern, JoAnn’s Scarf, in a book from my library, Crochet One-Skein Wonders. I picked up the yarn at Yarn Cloud, a new-to-me local yarn shop. So far it’s exactly what I wanted- I quickly internalized the pattern & I’m able to just crochet. I made it a little wider than the pattern calls for. My plan is to crochet until the yarn runs out, sew the ends together and make a cowl. I recently discovered I prefer cowls to scarves for their snuggliness & stay puttedness.

It looks like a dreary, rainy weekend in northern Virginia, so I’ll be here crocheting, potty training & taking care of sick folks. Hopefully some time at the long arm will happen too!